Sundays are Drum Days at the
Huntington Beach Pier in Southern California
 

Having been to many drum circles, I always marvel that each and everyone is unique and different. Drumming at the Huntington Beach Pier in Southern California has been going on for over twenty years and the array of drummers, dancers and visitors that attend and enjoy this drum circle is very diverse. Drummers come from far and wide, and they are absolute regulars year after year at this afternoon drum circle that begins around noon, and often continues through sunset, drumming down the sun.

Although downtown Huntington Beach has changed through layers of controversy and development over the years, morphing from a single story downtown into three-story modernized buildings, the drum circle still beats on. Visitors enjoy the groove and literally hang out for hours with their
families watching the drummers. 

Some jump into the circle with wild dance moves to the beat of the drum, the sound of the ocean waves breaking on the shore, and lots of onlookers enjoying their moves. The location is ideal next to the downtown pier and visitors and drummers enjoy a spectacular
panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean.

My last visit to the drum circle, I was pulled into the beat. I love to get involved in the jam. It takes a while to warm up, to get your hands moving and feel the pace of the other drummers. But after a while it flows and you find yourself smiling and drumming. Finally becoming one with the circle, I drummed with my elbow and pulled out an array of whistles from my pocket. I become an entertainer along with the other drummers that are immersed in the joy of the beat. My favorite part is when the drum facilitator decides it is time to end the groove and a cue is given to wrap it up. Everyone picks up on it and a synchronized drum beat ends the jam, however, only for a brief moment and then it starts again. The audience is thrilled at this moment of unison and incredible spontaneity by the drummers and they break into applause and laughter. The dancers stop momentarily and then jump back to their feet when they realize this is a false hiatus, gleefully ready to dance more and more. 

Looking out from the drum circle seeing the onlookers, smiling faces abound and they too have become part of the drum circle. Interestingly enough while drumming, it is possible to people watch. What an amazing array of human beings we all are. Asian families such as Filipinos, Vietnamese and Koreans are usually at the beach with their families with grandma enjoying and caring for her grandchildren, while parents take a relaxing break sitting on the cement wall, the sandy beach behind them. Young teenage boys in their beach shorts roll by on their skate boards, roller blades and bicycles; with hair streaked blonde and golden tanned, they stop and hang with their friends, laughing and carefree.

Teen girls do the same, always with a girlfriend, they stop and cannot resist the urge to jump in and dance on the sidewalk to the beat of the drum. The drum circle beat speeds up and a young couple jumps in to dance. One of the favorites was a young girl in her bikini with a few tattoos. After a while, maybe even twenty minutes goes by and I realize that she has a prosthetic limb from the thigh down. It is flesh tone and somewhat flexible allowing her to dance like everyone else. She is not shy and dances in the middle of it all, the center of attention. Not to be outdone, two ladies over sixty in age join the circle, one of them in her striped bikini with long blonde hair and her friend in her sarong with reddish-brown hair, all smiles and part of the scene. Some people know each other, some do not, but it really doesn't matter as the drum circle attracts and accepts all.

Sophisticated drummers, the Huntington Beach group can play and play for hours in the heat of the day. Drummers come and go at all times, but the core group cannot be stopped. They are in love with their drums and know how to play them. All kinds of drums are played including djembes, congas, claves and percussion instruments. A place to see and enjoy it all, the Huntington Beach Pier Drum Circle is a public favorite. Drum circles are usually every Sunday afternoon, and if there is a planned city concert or event, the drummers begin right after.

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